my thoughts on.... 'Battle of the Damned'

Anyone who knows me, has read this blog or listened to any of my podcasts know.... I love zombies. Ever since I watched 'Dawn of the Dead' (1978) in 1996, I've been hooked. I just can't get enough zombies. Over the years, we've seen the market saturated with a glut of zombies every where. Any student out to make his first movie, wants to make a zombie film. They want to either change the genre somehow or just want an easy student project with minimal make up work and an open market. It's made the die hard fans have to dig even deeper through the muck and muddle to find the diamonds in the rough. There's still plenty of good stuff out there, but not always the most original stuff. When I first heard that Dolph Lundgren was making a zombie movie, I was geeked. I've been a fan of his work since I watched 'Rocky 4'. Then I heard that it was a zombie movie he was making. I got even MORE geeked! Then I heard it had robots too! I nearly had a nerdgasm all over the computer monitor. What more could you want in a zombie movie? To be honest, it stole from a basic concept I'd come up with years ago, but luckily it didn't steal my whole idea. What it did do though, was make a genre that is hard to improve on and gave it a fun little tweak that any horror movie fan will get a kick out of. Granted, you have to leave your brain at the door and make sure you have plenty of popcorn on hand. This is one of THOSE movies for sure.

The first thing that struck me with this movie was the way the zombies are dealt with. This really could have been done as a student film, if they hadn't stuck so much money into making the robots. In the process of focusing on them, they pushed the zombie effects to the side. The zombie make up, more or less, consists of some basic make up and a couple of applications. There's nothing fancy or even remotely good about the special effects in this movie. With that being said, they really did a stellar job with the robots. They played up on the fact that they were designed to be utilitarian in design, but perfectly suited to be combat ready. They're the straight man to Lundgren's hero and the perfect foil for the zombie hordes. The effects crew on this movie spent a long time designing the overall look and feel of the robots. They feel like they could honestly be in any factory out there right now. Doing a job on an assembly line, putting cars together, welding or other labor intensive work. I was really surprised at how realistic they really were. Granted, the effects didn't always hold up to a big budget standard, but it was way above average for this kind of Sci-Fi original movie. Back to the zombies, who needs to shoot them in the head when you can kill them by slitting their throats? Right? That's just one of the many ways these paper thin zombies can be killed again. It's as if they truly are just actors with make up on. This is the one part of the movie that bothered me the most. I mean, where's the danger when you can just shoot em' once and they're down? There's really no threat, other than when they're in big numbers. Then.... you're in trouble. Unless you have robots.

The basic premise of this movie is one that's been used a lot. Most famously in 'Escape From New York'. Send in the hero to an area everyone else is scared to go, have him rescue someone who's trapped and get back out safe. Yup. That's the premise of this movie too. Nothing new here, but still fun none the less. It tells the story of Max Gatling (clever, right?), a man on a mission. He leads a team into the hordes of zombies. Once inside, his team slowly begins to get smaller and soon his true intentions are discovered. He's not just there for any reason, he's there to rescue Jude by any means necessary. What he didn't count on was bringing a bunch of other people with him and that the basic bad guy in the story, is also Jude's boyfriend.... and the father of her unborn child. This makes everything much more complicated than before, but there's one thing Max didn't factor into the equation. The fact that there's a factory in the zombie infested zone and all of the robots inside of there, had gone bezerk not long ago. They were still alive and kicking, but now they were killing zombies, instead of humans. Soon they form an alliance and next thing you know: it's Dolph and robots vs. zombies! Much killing ensues. It's wonderful!

There's really not that much more to say about this movie. It's just big, dumb fun and to be honest.... in a sub genre of horror movies, it's really refreshing to see something you've never seen before. It's also a good thing to see Dolph Lundgren making a comeback. Luckily for him, 'The Expendables' keeps making more movies, as it keeps him working. This movie isn't going to change anyone's lives and it's really just a grade above the quality of 'Sharknado', but don't let that stop you from taking the time to watch it. This is a hidden little gem that needs an audience. I, personally, will eventually own this. I think it has a high re-watchability factor and one that will gain cult status someday. It's just so terribly and amazingly bad that it comes all the way back around to being good again. There's very little not too like about this movie and believe me, I tried really hard to hate it. I couldn't do it. I just kept smiling and wonder who in the hell came up with this story and why has it taken so long? George A. Romero this ain't. This is pure and utter schlocktastic good times! Watch this soon, please.

I'd give this 3 out of 5 stars and firmly believe it's got longevity built in. This is one that will live on in infamy. Mark my words on this.

my brief thoughts on.... 'Doghouse'

Zombies, zombies, zombies.... I love zombies. It's so nice to find a new twist on an old theme, especially one involving the undead. I've been lucky enough to have several zombie movies that have found their way to my TiVo or DVD player in the past few weeks that are new and different. It has re-ignited my love affair with the flesh eating corpses. (not that it ever went away really.) I remember seeing the trailer for 'Doghouse' quite a while ago and thinking that I wanted to add it to my Netlfix queue, but it wasn't available at the time. This little gem came out in 2009 and hit Netflix just recently. Most of you will probably recognize the star, Stephen Graham. He was Jason Statham's partner in 'Snatch'.... the one looking for the caravan. He's spot on in this movie and is equal parts funnyman and the hesitant hero. His friends are all likeable characters and you can find at least one that you'll relate too. They're a nice cross section of the male gender. The special effects are well done and each zombie is unique and a character all by themself. It seems in the zombie films of the past, zombies were all kind of interchangeable and a lot of them just blended together. Nowdays, zombies are as much of a main character as the main characters. They're all done as though they'll be the main focus of the movie. You can quickly identify each one. Granted, they may not have a specific name.... but like the 'Baseball Girl' in 'Land of the Dead', you remember who they are.

The plot here involves six guys who all leave their significant others to go to a little town called Moodley for the weekend. They take a little bus and leave one guy behind, who just couldn't get away. When they arrive in the quaint little town, the guys are let down that it looks like a little mountain town from the old days. Afraid that they will die of boredom, they begin to rethink coming. One of the blokes notices a woman walking down the street, when he approaches her.... she turns on him and he discovers she's a zombie. But she's not the only one, every woman in town has been affected by a government made virus that only turns females into the walking dead. There is not a single man in sight. The boys make a run for the bus, but their female bus driver has turned now and they make a 180 turn back towards the town. While seeking shelter, they have to dodge hordes of zombies. Soon they get seperated and it's almost every man for himself. Things get cranked up at this point and build to the finale. See what I mean about a new twist on an old theme? It's not quite re-inventing the wheel, but if it ain't broke.... don't fix it, right? Regardless, it's still nice to see something different. The zombies are, as always, disgusting looking. Each one has an obvious look to them that leads you to draw a conclusion about who they were before they turned. Like the butcher that one guy runs into. Even if she hadn't still been in the butcher shop chopping up a victim, you'd still be able to tell who she was. That's kind of a nice little touch that they've added here. There are a few fun little 'inventions' that they create to fight the undead. Like a remote control car with model plane fuel or the old fuel in a water gun trick. Some of these things are more effective than others, thus lending itself to some funny moments. All in all, a solid story with solid characters and solid zombies.

I couldn't say this was nearly as good as 'Shaun of the Dead', but it has a similar feel to it. Maybe it's because it was made across the pond? It's not nearly as clever or as strong as that movie was the whole way through. I wouldn't be surprise, however, if it was a strong influence on the writers of 'Doghouse' and I wouldn't say that's a bad thing. I narrowed it down to a 3 out of 5 star attempt. One that probably won't make it into my DVD collection, but one that I might watch again in the future. It's available to rent from Netflix, but not OnDemand sadly. It's worth the rental and worth your time to watch it. I don't know how readily available it is from any other source, but I'm sure you can find it if you dig around. So before you head out for a boy's weekend out, think about 'Doghouse' and make sure you're prepared to defend yourself if they female gender takes a turn for the worse.

If you like this, you'll dig: 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Dead Alive aka Braindead' and 'Cemetary Man'

my thoughts on.... 'AAAH! ZOMBIES!!'

As I've said in earlier posts, it's really hard to find anything new in the zombie genre. It seems like everything has been done and re-done. However, I was pointed in the direction of 'AAAH! ZOMBIES!!' and what I saw was something new. It proved that there may still be some life in the undead. Before I get into why it was fresh and new, I have to confess that I HATE talking zombies. By "talking", I mean ones that speak in complete sentences. Zombies are basically a shark. One track mind to kill and eat, nothing else. They grunt, goan and moan but they do not talk. 'AAAH! ZOMBIES!!' had talking zombies, but they presented them in a way that I didn't hate! It was a unique twist on how zombies might communicate with each other. It shows how zombies might think and what it might be like to turn into the walking dead. Haven't you ever wondered what it's like on the flip side of the undead coin? I know I have.

So what's the plot and the big secret to success? The plot is that of some friends who are just hanging out, when the military messes up and toxic chemicals are released. Eventually, people start turning into zombies. The four friends become zombies too. The thing is, they don't realize they're zombies right away. And as far as the audience is concerned, we see them as still human in black and white, but as zombies in color. So one minute they're having an intelligent conversation and trying to figure out what's going on and then we flip to color and they're just standing there (as zombies) moaning and groaning at each other. After the four realize what they've become, they start fighting for the rights of the living challenged. They also take on the military to try and get to a 'safe zone' where they might be able to start a new life with a colony of zombies all living together. Do they make it? Do they eat people? Do they get shot in the head? You'll have to watch it to find out. 'AAAH! ZOMBIES!!', rated 'R'.

With the set up of the undead being able to still communicate and understand each other, but sound unintelligent to everyone else, that's what sets up a lot of the comedy in this movie. Because they shift back and forth between the zombie world and the real world and seeing them hiding out, talking to the military, etc. it's very entertaining. One of the other things that's humorous, is one of the main characters realizing that he now has a taste for human flesh. For example, a living person gets their head blown off and while everyone else is talking about it and in shock, he starts eating their brains. He asks, "Is anyone going to finish that?" At which point, everyone else gets kind of grossed out. This movie is very clever and pretty well written. It's not without its flaws, but I very rarely ever see a movie that's 'perfect'. Have you? This movie is low budget and it's pretty obvious, but that doesn't take away from its charm. It just shows how much heart this movie has. Somebody was really proud of this concept and gave it the best they could to make it the best movie they could.

Between the good, the bad and the flaws, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. I think it has 're-watchability' and that's saying something. It may even deserve a higher rating. I mean, any movie that can have talking zombies and still have me enjoying it, has accomplished something. The actors are good, the direction is good and even the special effects and look of the movie are good. It's on Netflix OnDemand right now, so I would take advantage of that fact.... if you can. You could even watch it tonight, if you wanted too! So all that being said, are you still one of those jaded horror fans who's said that they've seen it all in the zombie genre? Perhaps you haven't and perhaps you should watch this movie and prove to yourself that an old dog can learn new tricks.... even a dead one.

Movies similar to this? 'Shaun of the Dead, 'Doghouse' and 'Stacy'

my brief thoughts on.... 'Blood On The Highway'

here we go again with yet anothe vampire movie....! okay, okay.... i admit it.... i like the genre again.... well, as long as movies like this one keep coming out.... this movie is very much in the vein of 'Evil Dead 2' or 'Dead Alive'.... plenty of blood, comedy, action and great characters to love.... (Tom Towles steals the show just a bit.).... this was a surprise of a movie.... i just happened upon it on one my regular horror blogs i frequent.... and i saw an ad for it.... since i'd never heard of it, i did a little research and decided that i had to see it for myself.... it was a happy day when i saw it and realized that people were still out there capable of making this kind of movie on a low budget and pulling off a worthwhile product.... i mean, i haven't had this much fun at a vampire movie since 'From Dusk Till' Dawn'.... it's that kind of movie.... sort of.... you've got all your stereotypes represented.... you've got a unique take on why the vampires exist in the first place.... and you have a group of kids that get involved on accident and turn it to be less the victim and more the hero.... i guess i'm just saying this was a refreshing movie to watch and enjoy....

3 friends are on their way to an annual music event and end up getting sidetracked and lost.... they end up in a little town called 'Fate' and soon find out that the town has been over run by vampires.... and the small population of humans that are left are battling to survive against overwhelming odds.... (sound pretty serious so far, but in reality it's not.).... the three friends get mixed up in the whole mess and soon find themselves smack dab at ground zero for the final showdown between the humans and the vampires and learn the ultimate truth as to why the whole horror story started at all.... and let me tell you, it's not what you think.... (but after you watch the movie, check out the special features for some funny tie ins to the storyline.)i highly recommend this for fans of any of the movies i've mentioned so far.... this received 4 out of 5 stars even before it was over.... it was such a strong little piece of filmaking that i couldn't help but love it....! not too mention the frat boy character is hilarious....!!!! (played by one of the writers of the movie.).... you also have Nicholas Brandon from 'Buffy' in a small but important role at the end.... and he's not typecast at all.... he's playing against his normal grain.... and he does a good job.... so if you've got time to rent a movie online or at the video store and you can find it.... please take my word for it and pick it up.... it's a diamond in the rough and soon to be a cult classic.... you want to get in on the ground floor of this one.... so you can be one of the cool kids.... right....? it's blood soaked fun and sometimes laugh out loud funny.... low budget filmaking at his best.

if you like this, check out: 'Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn', 'Dead Alive aka Brain Damage' and 'From Dusk Till' Dawn'

my thoughts on.... 'Undead'

i've owned this movie for a few years now.... and if you think you've seen it all in the zombie genre..... then you need to see this.... it's a terrific little Austrailian low budget horror flick that is as fun as it is worthwhile to watch.... it reminds me a bit of early Peter Jackson fare.... but perhaps with a slightly larger budget.... i just recently re-watched it during a zombie movie marathon that i had and i had forgotten how much i enjoyed it.... and how refreshing it was compared to all the other zombie movies out there.... and trust me, you've never seen a movie quite like this.... it's funny, it's gory, it's got great action and it takes a whole new twist on an old theme....

without giving all the plot away.... i'll try and stick to the basics.... it seems that things are falling from the sky and turning the population into the living dead.... a small group of survivors hold up in an old farm house and try and protect themselves from the onslaught of the undead headed for the house.... but that's when it gets weird.... i don't think i could explain it if i wanted to anyway.... so it's better for you to just watch it for yourself....
our main hero is unique.... our main heroine is a beauty queen.... the rest of the cast are all fun to watch and extremely likable.... especially the head police officer.... he says the 'F' word so much he makes it an artform.... not to mention he's hilarious.... the movie is worth it just for that.... and the action scenes with our hero are pretty kick ass.... nice double gun, slow-mo, triple barreled shotgun fun.... and a few acrobatics to boot.... (and you don't really notice until the end that he's missing a front tooth....!)

this is a great little unknown gem of a movie that needs a cult following.... it's worth multiple watchings and i would give it a high 4 out of 5 stars.... there were a couple of things i would have changed if i could.... but nothing major.... all the people involved must have had a lot of love for the project, because it bleeds through every scene.... it's not available to watch OnDemand.... so you'll have to rent it.... (that or stop by the house to watch it with me some night.).... in the end, if you like zombie movies.... this one is for you.... a zombie movie made by people who love zombies and wanted to share a new twist to make you remember why you loved zombies in the first place....

if you enjoy this movie, check out: 'Dead Alive', 'Bad Taste' and 'Dellamorte Dellamore aka: Cemetery Man'

my thoughts on.... 'Deadgirl'

the first word that comes to mind for this review is: disturbing.
the second word that comes to mind for this review is: unique.

normally, i wait for the storyline breakdown until later.... but here is the synopsis from http://www.imdb.com/: "Two high school boys discover an imprisoned woman in an abandoned mental asylum who cannot die." sounds interesting, yes....? it's not your mother's zombie film by any sense.... and in some circles, there is questions if this is a zombie movie at all.... or whether or not the deadgirl might be something else.... it's never very clearly defined and it's probably better that way.... it keeps you guessing.... there are a few plot holes, but they're nothing that will spoil your moviegoing experience.....

this particular movie just fell into my lap thanks to Netflix.... i had never heard of it, but it came up as recommended and sat in my instant queue for quite sometime before i had the desire or time to invest in it.... and boy, am i glad i did....
everyone involved in this film seems to take the subject matter very seriously and pulls no punches with the situations you see on screen.... they are things that you've probably never seen before in any other zombie type movie and may not see again right away.... granted it's not a new subjct matter, but usually it just involves the dead.... the dead alive.... at times this movie makes you angry, at times you find yourself sympathizing with the main characters and at times you begin to question your own morality in this situation.... what would you do....? that's what makes this movie so good.... it leaves you thinking and haunts your brain for days afterwards.... granted the ending was a little bit expected.... but it couldn't have ending any other way than it did.... you can't have the good guy be 100% good, right....? that just spoils the fun....

after sitting on this one for quite some time and finally seeing it in all it's glory, i give it 4 out of 5 stars.... hands down.... one of the more unique horror films you'll see of the past 5 years.... and i'm not sure how they came up with the concept, but it grabs a hold of you and won't let go even after the credits roll.... this is one for any zombie or horror-phile to see.... highly recommended.... especially if you like your movies more on the twisted side of things.... you won't be disappointed....

who doesn't want to love a deadgirl....?

if you enjoy this movie, check out: 'Nekromantik', 'Kissed' and 'Return of the Living Dead 3'